Singapore security spending up nearly 14 per cent in 2008: Gartner

Ross O. Storey |
Sept. 16, 2008

High profile data losses keep security top of mind for business

SINGAPORE, 16 SEPTEMBER 2008 - Spending on security software in Singapore is expected to reach SG$33.8 million (US$23.56 million) in 2008, up 13.7 per cent over 2007, according to research house Gartner.

In Gartner's annual CIO Agenda Survey for 2008, security came in at number two on the list of top 10 technology priorities of CIOs in Asia.

The Gartner research findings echo those of MIS Asia magazine's post-event feedback from the recent MIS Asia IT Summit held in Singapore.

CIOs then indicated that security (34.7 per cent) was ranked number five in their top 10 concerns, behind, IT budget management (45.8 per cent), cost cutting and consolidation (36.1 per cent) IT governance (36.1 per cent) and virtualization (36.1 per cent).

Infrastructure security top focus

Gartner says that: Building security into new infrastructure remains a top focus, and recent high-profile data losses and emerging threats from mobile devices and social networking sites will ensure that security stays top of mind with senior IT professionals.

As new generations of technology-savvy users and a growing wave of gadget-prone communication devices are making their way into the workplace, they bring with them new security threats as well as new technical and management paradigms. All of this has the potential to create considerable chaos in the marketplace.

Four of Gartner's top security, privacy and risk analysts will present new research and best practices on current and emerging security issues at the Gartner IT Security Summit in Singapore on September 19, 2008.